Pressure vacuum relief radiator cap



Jam 8, 1952 l.. J. SMITH ETAL PRESSURE VACUUM RELIEF' RADIATOR CAP Filed July 19 INVENTOR c/ SMfTHa/fd HTTOHNY Loa/ELL Patented Jan. 8, 1952 PRESSURE VACUUM RELIEF RADIATOR CAP Lowell J. Smith and Dawson Friend, Connersville,

Ind., assignors to Stant Manufacturing Company, Connersville, Ind., a corporation of Indiana l Application July 19, 1948, Serial No. 39,518

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to a cap for automobile radiators or similar containers, incorporating valve means of such character as automatically to relieve either positive or negative excessive pressure differentials between the interior of the container and the atmosphere. The primary object of the invention is to simplify the construction of such closures; but further objects are to render the structure less expensive to manufacture, and less subject to dam-age, breakage, or wear. vention is to provide, in such an organization, an improved, and less expensive, form of guide mounting for a reciprocatory :and rotatable valve assembly. A still further object of. the invention is to provide Ian assembly of the character under consideration, so constructed that there will be substantially no scrubbing or scuilng wear between the parts of the closure assembly and the cooperating parts of the mouth of the container to be closed. Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

Fig. 1 is a broken vertical section through a cap constructed in accordance with the present invention, assembled with a standard form oi automobile radiator filler spout;

Fig. 2 is a vertical ysection through our improved cap; and

Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the assembly of Fig. 2 taken substantially on the line 3--3 thereof.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, it will be seen that we have illustrated, more or less diagrammatically, a standard form of automobile radiator lller spout Ill, formed to provide a valve seat II, and formed, at its upper end, with a perimetral seat I 2 dened by an outwardly and downwardly turned flange I3. In accordance with standard practice, we have shown an over flow pipe I4 communicating with the interior of the spout I between the seats I I and I2.

A cap member I5 may preferably be punched and shaped from sheet metal, and is formed to provide a perimetral skirt I6 which, at spaced points, carries inturned fingers Il for cooperation with the cammed lower edge of the ange 1.3,; lnae0rdan ,with 4Stanfiard. practice, ,Prei- A further object of the in- 2 erably, the central portion of the cap member will be distorted inwardly, as at I8, to provide a central, axially inwardly projecting, substantially cylindrical boss I9. Loosely journalled on the boss I9 is a fiexible diaphragm 2i), preferably formed of thin, resilient metal, and adapted to cooperate with the seating surface I2 to seal the upper end of the spout. The parts are so proportioned and designed that, when the cap member I5 has been turned to locked position, the sealing element 29 will have been flexed upwardly adjacent its periphery.

The distorted portion I8 of the cap member I5 is provided with a perforation 2l, and an elongated, hollow, preferably cylindrical member 22 is formed at its upper end with an inturned flange 23 .defining van opening substantially identical in dimension with the opening 2|. A rivet 24 is received in those openings and headed over against the outer surface of the cap member and the inner surface of the flange 23 to secure the member 22 flxedly and rigidly to the cap member. At its lower end, the elongated member 22 is formed with an outturned flange 25.

A spring seat or ring 26 is formed to provide axially spaced portions 21 and 28, substantially parallel with each other and perpendicular to the `axis of the element 22, said portions 2l and 28 being joined by an integral, axially extending wall. The outer perimeter of the portion 28 is turned upwardly to provide a cylindrical flange 29. The flange 2l is proportioned and designed to have a sloppy, axially slidable and rotational fit upon the elongated member 22, but to engage the ange 25 of said member to limit movement of said spring seat in a direction away from the cap member I5. It will be apparent that, because of this sloppy lit, the spring seat 26 may rock relative to the axis of the member 22, and also may freely rotate and reciprocate relative to said member.

A coiled spring surrounds the member 22 and is confined between the spring seat 28 and the sealing member 20, thereby pressing said sealing member 20 frictionally against the inner surface of the cap member I5. It will be seen that the spring 30 comprises the sole means for holding the sealing member 29 in place upon the boss I and against the inner surface of the cap member I5.

A valve assembly is indicated generally by the reference numeral 3|. It comprises an annular disc 32 having an internal peripheral flange 33 turned axially in one direction out of the general plane of the disc, and an external peripheral flange 34 turned in the opposite direction out of said plane. The flange 34 is so proportioned and designed as snugly to receive the flange 29 of the ring 25; and, after assembly of said disc upon said ring, the upper edge of the flange 34, which flange has a longer axial extent than does the flange 29, may be .crimped .over the flange 29, throughout its periphery, or at a plurality of spaced points 35 about its periphery.

An annular gasket 32 is sleeved on the flange 33 of the disc 32 and pressed into engagement with that surface of said disc remote from the ring 26. The gasket 36 may be held in lplace on the disc 32 in any suitable fashion; but We prefer to secure it in place by means of `a thimble rivet 31 having an upper flange 38 spun or peened into engagement with the upper surface of the vdisc 32 and a lower flange 39 spun or peened into engagement with the exposed surface of 4the gasket 36.

A valve :it is arranged to cover the opening through the rivet 3l and to bear against `the exposed surface of the gasket 3 6 upon a circular line lying beyond the limits of the flange :39. Said valve :i2 is carried upon Ya stem 4! which passes freely through the rivet El and is provided, at its upper end, with a suitable abutment such as a head 62. A coiled spring 43 is confined between Asaid head and the flange 33 of the rivet 3l, resiliently holding the valve i in sealing engage- Ament with the gasket .36.

It will be seen that, when .the cap is brought into operative association with the spout i0, the lgasket .36 will come into sealing engagement with the valve seat il. the `fingers il' .over the camming surfaces Yof the flange lf3, the member 222 rotates freely with respect to the ring 26 and the `valve assembly :31, Aand moves axially downwardly relative to said ring and valve assembly. not vcaused to scrub against theseat .1 i. Likewise, the sealing member '2e is brought into .engagement with the seating surface i2 before the cap member .l5 reaches its looked position. Because said Asealing member is held only frictionally against the inner surface .of .the cap .member I5, kthe cap may rotate `relative to said sealing member, also, .during the latter portion of fthe locking movement `of said member. .lt will :be Aseen that, because of thesloppy fit between the ring 26 and the member `22, the gasket .36 -williengage securely vupon its seat 'Il in spite `of .any minor misalignment between the `member :22 and the seat fl l.

The spring 43 .normally holds the valve it .in position to prohibit flow through the `registering ports kof the gasket and the .disc 32; 'but if `.the pressure within the .vehicle coolingsystem should drop substantially below atmospheric pressure, the valve it will be depressed, against the tendency of the spring 43, to permit air flow past said valve @il into the system. If pressure -within the system should rise to a value substantially above atmospheric pressure, the-entire Yvalvefassernbly-and the ring 25 will be lifted, against the tendency of the `spring 32, to'permit ysteam :to escape between the seat -H and the gasket 36. The sealing member 2t, of course, holds that steam against discharge past the cap-member l5, and forces it to flow through the overilow-pipeld.

The ease of assembly'of our capis an important feature thereof. The lcap 4member i5 is laid on ya bench or-in a lholder in'inverted position. The sealing vmember '2t is Vdropped into place, Lbeing guided by the boss i3, Vand the spring 'f30is then As the cap .is rotated `to ,move

set in position upon said sealing member. The elongated member 22 is threaded through the opening defined by the flange 21 of the spring seat 26, and said spring seat centered on the end of the spring 3i) remote from the sealing member 2d. Preferably, the cylindrical wall of the spring seat 2.5 is so ,dimensioned as Ato have a frictional engagement with the inner surfaces of the first two turns of the spring Si).

The rivet 24 has been previously headed over against the Youter surface of the cap l5, and its stem is projecting through the opening 2|. Now the spring 32 is compressed to bring the flange 23 into ,engagement with the inner surface of the boss it, v'whereby the stem of the rivet 24 is projected through the opening defined by the flange 23,; and said stem is headed over to secure the member 22 to the cap member I5.

The parts of the valve assembly 3i having been previously assembled, the flange 34 is now slipped onto the ila-nge 2E and crimped over to complete the assembly -of the cap.

Of prima-ry importance to the invention is the particular construction of .the hollow element 22. As show-n, it comprises two fingers 'is and depending, in substantial parallelism with the axis of the perforation 46, from the ilange 23, spaced apart by openings `fl'i and d8., and terminating in the outturned projections which define the flange 25,. Each of fingers 44 and 451s curved about said axis, so that said ngers definea cylinder, interrupted by ,the openings 4i and 4,8 which .extend -through the flange 25 and into a region near the flange 23.

'This lunit 22, as shown, may be very inexpensively punched and drawn from a single, rectangula-r strip of sheet metal. After punching the central perforation 15S, vthe ends and sides of the lank vlare bent ont of the .original plane, drawing the portion 'S to define the solid cylindrical surface above the openings L4l' and 48, and curving the bodies of `the fingers .44 and y45. The lateral edges of' said fingers do not meet, whereby said openings -41 and di! are 4-deined and the terminal portions of v the ngers are turned outwardlyto denethe flange 25.

We Claim as our invention:

1. In a pressure-vacuum relief closure cap, a 'cap member formed Ifor retaining association with a spout, a resilient sealing member loosely engaging the inner surface of said cap member, 'an-elongated hollow velement having an upper .in-

-turned flange means and a lower outturned flange means, means cooperating with 'said -inturned flange means `to secure said hollow element to the inner surface of said cap member, a ring slidably mounted on said 'hollow element and cooperable with the outturnedange 0f said hollow element to limit mOi/ement of said ring axially in one direction relative to said hollow element, said ring having an axial length substantially less than that .fof said `hollow element, a coiled spring arranged to enclose said hollow element and confined Pbetween said ring and said sealing member to press said sealing member ,frictionally against the inner surface of said cap member. and a valve assembly including ,a pressure-relief valve and a vacuumrelief .valve carried by said ring, a portion of said valve assembly projecting into the :interior of Vsaid hollow element.

2. The cap of claim V1 in which saidzhollow-ele- Ament isra single piece-of sheet metal whoseperiphery Tis interrupted, Vfrom v`said outturned iiange to a region near said inturned iiange, by two openings substantially diametrically opposite each other.

3. In a sealing closure cap for vehicle radiators land the like, a cap member formed for retaining association with a spout, an elongated hollow element provided with radially-extending projections at its opposite ends, means cooperating with such projections at one end of said element to fix said element to the interior surface of said cap member, a spring seat mounted on said element for reciprocation and rotation relative to the axis of said element, said spring seat having an axial length substantially less than that of said element and cooperating with such projections at the other end of said element to limit movement of said spring seat away from said cap member, spring means bearing on said spring seat and resiliently urging said spring seat toward cooperative engagement with said last-named projections, and a valve assembly attached to said spring seat.

4. The cap of claim 3 in which said hollow element comprises a single strip of stiff sheet material centrally perforated for` the accommodation of said means and 'having a plurality of fingers projecting away from said cap member REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,816,576 Golden July 28, 1931 zo 2,147,727 White et al. Feb. 21, 1939 2,164,450 Eshbaugh et al. July 4, 1939 2,266,314 Eshbaugh Dec. 16, 1941 

